Exploring Port Blakely

Pin Indicates Our Blakely Harbor Anchorage Point

On July 20, 2009, Frontier Washington West undertook two explorations: Blakely Harbor and new technology. We motored across Puget Sound at midday, carefully eluding the Ferry Boats between Seattle and Winslow Harbor (on Bainbridge Island), and having a close look at Blakely Rock. Passing the rock at the entrance to the deep harbor, we were grateful for modern charts and a depth sounder -- no running aground for us on uncharted rocks.

We dropped an anchor at the head of the harbor and ate lunch, taking in the pleasant, calming surroundings. Then after lunch we went back in time to the Blakely Harbor of about 120 years ago, when the waters were full of sailing ships, loading lumber from the local sawmill -- the biggest in the world!

Our experiment in new technologies consisted of going on line while at anchor -- using Freedom VII's own wireless network -- and beginning work on a jointly-authored Google document about the History of Blakely Harbor. Subsequently, back in Cheney, after another safe crossing of Puget Sound, Phil Carter, Candice Helsing, and Bill Youngs are expanding the Blakely document as a prototype for the final projects of History 300 students.

Click here to see the Blakely Harbor web site.